The United Arab Emirates said Sunday a “pause” in the Saudi-led military campaign to retake Yemen’s port city of Hodeida is designed to allow the United Nation special envoy time to shuttle between the warring parties.

“The Coalition has paused the advance on the city… to allow the U.N. envoy to secure an unconditional withdrawal from Hodeida,” Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted Sunday.

U.N. envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said last week the Shi’ite rebels known as Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition had indicated they were willing to restart talks.

In mid-June, the UAE and Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive on Hodeidah to drive out the Houthis.

Griffiths has said the Houthis are willing to turn over the management of the Hodeidah port to the United Nations.

The port of Hodeidah is a vital lifeline for people throughout Yemen. It imports crucial humanitarian relief supplies and is the main entry point for commercial goods, including fuel, food, and medicines.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015.
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